Intro:

Today is Mother’s Day and our minds are filled with memories and images.  Some of those images are in color, many are in black and white.  When I think of my mother I think of a faithful and tireless servant.  A woman who poured her life into her family.  One who had little time for anything else, whose eyes lit up whenever she spoke of her children or grandchildren.  I see those same characteristics in my wife and I’m grateful.  Because of my experience as a child and a husband it is hard for me to imagine the pain of a woman unable to have children.  A woman who desperately wanted a child, longed for a child, prayed for a child and then, having her prayers answered – she gave that child away.  I confess, “I don’t understand that.”  Her story is found in the book of 1 Samuel.  A book filled with political struggle and intrigue.  The story of major shifts in the religious and political life of the nation.  It contains epoch-making events that will not only shape the nation but impact the world.  Yet it begins by calling our attention to a humble woman living in the backwaters of the hill country of Ephraim, weeping over her dead womb.  Her name means, “favored one” but her condition betrays her name.  How can a “favored one” be barren?  Why should we care what happens to this childless nobody?  It matters because this is just the kind of place, and just the kind of circumstance that catches the attention of our God.

Text: 1 Samuel 1:1-28

The book opens at the end of the Period of the Judges described in Judges 21:25 as a time when – “…there was no king in Israel.  Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”  You remember the “cycle of the Judges.”  There would be apostasy, followed by a foreign oppressor, the people of God would repent and cry out for a deliverer, God would raise up a deliverer, they would be set free, enjoy a time of peace and then start the whole thing over again.  This was basically a 200 year period of anarchy.

This morning I want us to walk carefully through this chapter.  We need to be cautious when dealing with Old Testament narrative.  We must do more than simply retell the story.  In addition, we also must be careful not to just find moral lessons or examples to follow or avoid.  It would be easy to read the first chapter and say, “Hannah is a great example of faith for us to follow; and let’s make sure we’re not like Peninnah or Eli!”  I would agree Peninnah and Eli are poor examples while there is much to commend in both Elkanah and Hannah but they are not the point!  The story is not primarily about Hannah – but about Hannah’s God.

Here is what I want us to see in this opening chapter…

Thesis: In the midst of heartache and bitter disappointment the righteous confidently turn to God in humble, honest prayer and respond with steadfast obedience.

If you really believe there is a God and you believe He has revealed himself to us through the Scriptures, that belief will impact everything in your life.  It will impact the way you think and direct the way you act.  It will shape your view of the world around you and how you interpret world events.  Genuine belief in God is not relegated to discussions on Sunday morning in Sunday School.  He dominates your thinking daily.  You see His hand everywhere.

There are three things I want us to see in this text.

1. In times of trouble and great distress the righteous have nowhere to turn but to the Sovereign Ruler of all things.  (1:1-10)
2. Our God’s sovereign and gracious rule inspires honest, transparent and confident prayer.  (1:11-17)
3. The Righteous respond to God’s good grace in quiet confidence and steadfast obedience.  (1:18-28)

Intro:

It just didn’t make sense.  It was foolish, it was dangerous and reckless.  Government officials must have been shaking their heads.  What is he thinking?  You’ve just consolidated your kingdom.  You finally have achieved peace with your enemies.  You’ve managed to unite a divided people – why ask for trouble?  That must have been the reaction of those present when David asked, “Is there anyone left from the house of Saul?”  Everyone knows conventional wisdom says, “When you take power eliminate all threats.”  That means when you come to power kill anyone and everyone associated with the previous king.  The confusion was not in his asking if anyone was left from the house of Saul.  The confusion comes from his reason for asking.  “Is there anyone left from the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness?”  Is there anyone left from my enemy’s house so that I may love him?  Our text this evening is found in the 9^th chapter of 2 Samuel.

Text: 2 Samuel 9:1-13

• This begins a new section in the Samuel material that runs from chapter 9 thru 20.
• In order to understand this passage you must understand covenant.
• Covenant is a word we use around church.
• We talk about God’s covenant with Abraham, with Moses and Israel etc.
• We talk about Old and New Covenant.
• We talk about the marriage covenant.
• We have a church covenant.
• The problem is we think of covenant as a “contract.”
• We think “binding legal agreement.”
• While a covenant is a binding agreement it is not a cold, lifeless document.
• Covenants are about promises, they are filled with emotion.
• The word “kindness” in our text is the Hebrew “hessed” or “chessed.”

I like Eugene Peterson’s description of the term:

“The word translated ‘kindness’ in our text is one of those large Hebrew words that radiates a spectrum of meanings like a rainbow of colors from a diamond in the sunlight: kindness, love, covenantal friendship, loyal love, and justice.  It is a favorite word among the psalmists to convey God’s characteristic relationship with us; it is a favorite word of prophets to designate our most appropriate relationship with one another.”

The thing that drives David in this regard is the covenant he made with Jonathan.  The reason he is willing to risk is that he bound himself by oath to love Jonathan and his family and though political wisdom said, “forget it” though common sense said, “protect yourself” David said, “Is there anyone left from the house of Saul that I may love them for Jonathan’s sake?”

As we work our way through this chapter we discover that…

Thesis: David proves to be a shining example of covenant love.

I want to point out 3 things.

1. Covenant love does the unthinkable.  (9:1-4)
2. Covenant love goes well beyond the bare essentials.  (9:5-10)
3. Covenant love proves to be extraordinary.  (9:11-13)

Intro:

It is the most important question when “doing” theology.  It is the question that must be answered whenever you study the Scripture.  Until you answer this question you’ve not concluded your study.  “So what?”  What difference does this truth make?  What am I to do with this truth?  What action am I to take?  What am I to believe?  Truth that does not act is of little value.  Faith that does not work is dead according the James.  God is sovereign over men and nations.  That’s nice but, “So what?”  Jesus is coming again.  “And?”  There is coming a time of intense persecution and heartache to the world but specifically to the church.  “So what?”  As we’ve walked through the book of Daniel we’ve been reminded again and again of God’s sovereign, providential work among men and nations.  We’ve seen that history is His story.  We’ve noted that though this world often seems random, chaotic and out of control God’s sovereign hand is guiding history to a specific end.  So what?  What difference does that make in my ordinary, daily life?  How does that affect the choices I make and the path I walk?  This morning we come to the conclusion of our study and we’ll deal with the “so what.”  Our text this morning is found in Daniel chapter 12.

Text: Daniel 12:1-13

• Daniel has faithfully served God, singing His song in a foreign land for 7 decades.
• For 70 years he served pagan kings.
• He has remained faithful to his task and more importantly to his God.
• Now in his 90s he is given a final vision.
• A vision that is to prepare and encourage the people of God in the face of trouble.
• The visions keep covering the same ground.
• Demonstrating God’s sovereignty over men and nations.
• This final vision is the longest and most detailed.
• It begins in chapter 10 and concludes in our text.
• Chapter 10 serves as a prologue – emphasizing the importance of a biblical perspective.
• Chapter 11 gives the vision of history’s unfolding drama.
• Focus is on God’s people and covers the time period of 530 bc – return of Christ.
• It is important to note that this vision deals with 2 crises the people of God will face.
• The first has to do with the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes 175-168 bc.
• The second with the reign of Antichrist just prior to the return of Christ.
• Both in Daniel’s future.
• The first in our ancient past the second yet to come.

As we walk through chapter 12 I want you to note…

Thesis: In the face of great uncertainty believers live confident of future glory; certain of God’s sovereign control of all things; and committed to faithfulness.

Chapter 11 ends with the reign of Antichrist speaking astonishing things against the God of gods.  Magnifying himself to the place of God; turning his attention to the “glorious land” (Israel) where tens of thousands will fall.  Yet he shall come to his end (11:45).

Chapter 12 opens with a reminder of how difficult and tragic that time will be but also giving great hope.

1. You can be confident of your ultimate destiny.  (12:1-3)
2. You can rest assured of God’s sovereign hand guiding history to its predetermined end.  (12:4-12)
3. Our primary task is to remain faithful no matter what comes.  (12:13)

Intro: From time to time it is good and necessary to stop and take stock.  Reflect on where you are.  How you got there and where you are going.  That’s true when you are on a journey.  Are we on the right road?  How long have we been traveling?  How much further?  It’s true when you are on a guided tour.  Stop.  Catch your breath.  Rehears and reflect then go on your way.  That’s what the biblical writer is doing in 2 Samuel chapter 8.  This is summary brining to close a major section of the Samuel material.  In fact it is the 3^rd of the 5 sections in the work.  This section began back in 1 Samuel chapter 15.  1 Samuel 15 – 2 Samuel 8 is about the rise of David.  Saul, the people’s choice, had been a miserable failure.  David, God’s choice has come from the pasture to the palace.  From watching over sheep to leading a nation.  He is firmly established in the new capital – Jerusalem.  The Ark of God is back in the center of national life.  God has made David the promise that his throne will be an “everlasting” throne.  The writer now brings this section to a close by summing up David’s early reign.  Our text this evening is the entire 8^th chapter of 2 Samuel.

Text: 2 Samuel 8:1-18

This is not exactly an exciting chapter.  What we have is a catalogue of David’s military victories and the establishment of his cabinet.  This is another place when I want to ask, “Did Paul read this before he wrote, ‘all Scripture is profitable…?’”

A part of me wants to move on to chapter 9 and the story of Mephibosheth (I like saying his name!).  Chapter 9 and David’s treatment of this poor cripple because of his love for Jonathan – that’ll preach – chapter 8, not so much.

But there is value in chapter 8. I want to be careful because I do not want to “spiritualize” the text. I don’t want to run with an allusion or an analogy and say, “This is the meaning of this text.”

2 Samuel chapter 8 is about David and his real, literal, military victories over his enemies and the expansion of the borders of Israel.  It is an historical record of events that happened in ancient Israel but there are principles reflected in these events that do inform us and apply to our living out the Faith.

Thesis: 2 Samuel 8 reminds us of the wonder of God’s blessings and our response to those blessings.

I want to point to three principles drawn from this text.

1. God, faithful to His Word, always accomplishes His purpose.  (8:1-6, 13-14)
2. Contrary to popular opinion the blessing of God is not for personal comfort or glory but for His own glory.  (8:7-12)
3. We are to reflect God’s character and glory in all we do.  (8:15-18)

Intro:

Speculation is rampant.  Prophecy teachers are giddy with excitement.  It seems daily there are signs that the end is near.  “Pastor do you think we are in the last days?”  Absolutely.  We have been ever sense Jesus ascended into glory!  If you mean will Jesus return in our lifetime, my answer is I don’t know but I certainly hope so.  As I survey the landscape I think we are in for some troubled, turbulent times.  Unlike my Dispensational friends, I think we’ll go through the great tribulation.  I find no assurance that we get to escape the “really bad stuff.”  Christian martyrs through the centuries would probably agree with me.  By the way I checked the Rapture Index this week and it is holding steady at 186 just 2 points off its record high.  Well what are we to do?  How are we to live?  The psalmist asked, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”  What are we, the righteous, the people of God, to do when all hell breaks loose?  When society crumbles.  When wickedness and ungodliness are enthroned?  The next line in the Psalm says, “The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD’S throne is in heaven” (Psalm 11:3-4).  In other words what are the righteous to do?  Live righteously.  Nothing has changed.  God is still in his place and he is still in charge.  Daniel 11:32 says of a day when wickedness prevails, “…the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.”  I understand there is a degree of fear and some dread about what lies ahead.  I do believe there is coming one empowered of Satan who will wreak havoc on the earth.  I believe in a real, literal antichrist.  But we are not to loose hope.  We are not to faint with fear for our God reigns.  Daniel, 6 centuries before Christ, was given a series of visions.  Each reminding him and us that God is sovereign over all things.  He rules over men and nations.  Our text this morning is found in the 11^th chapter of Daniel.

Text: Daniel 11:2-45

• Daniel 10-12 is a unit.
• This is a single vision with a prologue (10) and a postscript (12).
• It is in keeping with previous visions.
• God is controlling history – it is His story.
• While it appears, at times, things are out of control – God’s firm hand is guiding this ship.
• Chapter 10 reminds us of the importance of a biblical perspective or worldview.
• Now we come to focus on the vision of chapter 11.

Let me begin by saying, “Chapter 11 is a difficult text.”

By difficult I mean it covers a lot of ground.

It is a prophecy of future events (from Daniel’s perspective) and covers a time period of 530 bc to the end of the world at the return of Christ!  One scholar said, “I don’t know how you preach a sermon or sermons on this text.”  I understand that perspective.  It is hard to deal with this passage without giving a history lesson.  A lesson that you would not find particularly interesting unless you are a history buff excited about the ancient Near East.

The chapter is not particularly controversial in that most all scholars (conservatives anyway) are in agreement about the subject and interpretation of the text.

The controversy comes from those who believe the prophecies are too accurate to have been written by Daniel.  They say this is, “prophecy after the fact” and written not by Daniel in the 6^th century b.c. but in the 2^nd century as a tract for troublesome times.  Encouraging the faithful to trust God and bear up under the attacks of Antiochus Epiphanes.

There are 45 verses in this chapter and a lot of history to cover so I hope to wrap this up in time for the evening service.

There is one great truth ringing loud and clear from this vision…

Thesis: The vision from Daniel 11 vividly reminds us that our God is sovereign over men and nations.

When it comes to biblical prophecy I don’t think there is anything more important or more helpful than to grasp this truth and order our lives accordingly.

I understand the command of Scripture to be aware of the times.  I know we are to watch and pray.  It is good and right to study Bible prophecy and seek to understand world events in light of the teaching of God’s Word.  But as to predicting when and how and who?  It’s not our job.  Rather we are to know the truth so that when things begin to fall in place we know this is it and we look up for our redemption draws nigh.

As we work through this chapter I want to note the astonishingly accurate prophecies of future events; the reassuring presence of God’s sovereign hand and then consider some timeless truths that must inform our our daily lives.

1. The Astonishingly accurate and detailed prophecies of world events.  (11:2-45)
2. You must not miss the reassuring presence of God’s sovereign hand through all of this.
3. Some timeless truths to guide our days.

• The kingdoms of this world are inherently unstable.
• Worldly kingdoms devise their schemes and make their plans but they cannot override the will of God.
• God is working out His purpose for His people in all the circumstances of their lives.

Intro:

There are those times when words are inadequate.  There is just nothing you can say that will do justice to the occasion.  The words seem hollow.  There are no words that can carry the weight of  what you feel.  Any attempt is seen as feeble or worse yet – insulting.  David thought it was a good idea.  Pagan rulers built fine houses for their gods why should the true and living God be housed in a tent?  He wanted to build God a house, a temple.  One that would be fitting for such a glorious God.  Nathan, the prophet, even thought it was a good idea.  “Absolutely David!  Do what is in your heart.”  But God said, “No!”  There was even a rebuke, “So you’re going to build Me a house?  Tell Me, when did I ever tell anyone to build Me a house?”  God went on to say that He traveled around in a tent to be near His people.  He was not ashamed of where He lived or to be associated with Israel.  He wanted David and the people to understand that He, not David, was King over Israel.  “David you will not build Me a house rather I will build one for you.  I will see to it the ‘house of David’ abides forever.”  God told David his throne would be established as an everlasting throne.  Now the message has been delivered.  The dust has settled.  It is quiet.  What is David to do?  Our text this evening is found in 2 Samuel chapter 7.

Text: 2 Samuel 7:18-29

David was finally established as king over a united Israel.

His enemies have been subdued.

Alliances have been made.

The Ark of God is now at home in the new capital of Jerusalem.

Life is good!

Then grace upon grace David is told that his kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom.  His throne will be established forever.  You don’t get that kind of news and do nothing.  What David does next is according the Eugene Peterson the most critical act David ever did – he sat down.

He took an action that put him out of action.

He go out of the driver’s seat, he renounced royal initiative.

He deliberately placed himself prayerfully before God the King.

“Then king David went in and sat before the LORD…”

The words of his prayer show that he had listened to the sermon delivered by Nathan and he understand the meaning and the significance of What God was doing.  Thus we have recorded for us, in our text, a wonderful example of “grateful prayer.”

It is clear David has moved from being full of himself and his plans for God to being fully attentive to God’s plan for him.  It’s no longer about what David will do for God but what God will do for David.

There are times we need to quit whatever we are doing and sit down.  Too often we are afraid of being caught doing nothing for God.  Yet there are times when doing nothing is the gospel thing to do.  David interrupted his plans in order to sit before the LORD in prayer.  He entered into the presence of God so that he might become the kind of king who would represent the sovereign God, the true King.

As we work through David’s prayer I want to point out three characteristics of grateful prayer.

1. Grateful prayer begins in a heart overwhelmed by the grace of God.  (7:18-22)

• He is overwhelmed by past grace. (18)
• He is astonished by promised grace. (19)
• He then marvels at God’s sovereign grace. (20-21)

2. Grateful prayer understands the unique and glorious place held by God’s people.  (7:23-24)

•  They are a redeemed people. (23)
• They are a preserved people.  (24a)
• They are a privileged people. (24b)

3. Grateful prayer passionately, boldly, and confidently pleads God’ promise.  (7:25-29)

Intro:

It is a time of great political unrest.  World leaders are jockeying for position.  There are wars and rumors of wars.  It seems the power of darkness is ever increasing while the people of God are oppressed and persecuted.  When will it end?  Even among the people of God there is unrest and theological debate.  Scholars disagree over how to interpret what God is saying and the meaning of world events.  The world is in a mess.  Society is crumbling.  Where is God?  Why isn’t God doing something about this?  That’s how people were thinking in 537 B.C.!  The mighty Babylonian Empire had fallen.  The Medes and Persians were advancing.  Cyrus, king of Persia, had decreed that God’s people could return to their land and the temple could be rebuilt.  Few had returned and the work was slow.  In fact just a few months into the project it all came to a grinding halt.  Daniel, and old man, was burdened and in earnest prayer when he received his final vision.  The vision is contained in Daniel chapters ten, eleven and twelve.  It, once again, reminds Daniel and us of God’s sovereign rule over all the earth.  Our text this morning is found in the tenth chapter of Daniel.

Text: Daniel 10:1-21

The context is the 3^rd year since Cyrus had conquered Babylon (537-536).

Daniel is given a great vision.

There are some things to keep in mind about Daniel’s visions:

• First there is a vision of the grand scheme.
• Second zeros in on a certain aspect or truth.

We’ve also noted that the visions of Daniel cover the same ground.

We keep getting different perspectives of the same time period.

Of course we also note this is prophecy and not history.

It is the telling of present and/or future events from God’s perspective.

As such events tend to overlap, at times they telescope.

This distant events blends in with an event from even greater distance.

The overall point is one of encouragement – our God is in charge.

Regardless of how “out of control” things may seem, God controls all things.

Chapter 10 serves as a prologue for this last, great vision.

From this chapter we learn the importance of perspective.

We must see things in their proper relation.

This chapter (and the vision following) deals with things in Daniel’s future and our ancient past – yet there are important principles for us to learn.  Principles that relate directly to how we are to live today.  In fact from this text we learn…

Thesis: If we are to live as God intends we must understand and engage the world from a biblical perspective.

Perspective is everything.  The grid through which I view the world, understand and interpret world events determines how I live.  Our faith is to be an active faith.  I believe certain things because the Word of God informs me.  Those beliefs then are used to interpret and understand what’s going on around me and my response to those events.  You are not to “trust Jesus” and then live out your days doing your thing until you die and go to heaven.  You are to think biblically.  You are to act righteously.  You are to engage the world as a follower of Christ.  This passage gives us some insight into how we are to do just that.

Let me point to 3 things from our text.

1. Believers are rightly burdened by the surrounding wickedness and the lack of progress in godliness.  (10:1-3)
2. Believers must view everything from the perspective of God’s sovereignty and sufficiency.  (10:4-9)
3. Believers must understand the great reality behind what they see.  (10:10-21)

Intro: Today is Easter Sunday.  Resurrection Day.  We’ve come to sing and celebrate the fact that Christ has risen from the dead.  I know that sounds strange to many.  After all, dead people don’t just get up and walk out of cemeteries!  The whole thing sounds far fetched.  It seems absurd that we would gather week after week and sing songs about the glory and wonder of an instrument of death.  “I cherish the old rugged cross?”  Really?  “There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins?”  Are you serious?  What seems strange to many and down right weird to others is, in fact, the heart and soul of our lives.  The story begins in the heart and mind of God as He decided to create a world.  He spoke and the universe came into being.  The crowning moment of creation is when He made man in His own image and likeness.  Human beings were created to have the capacity to relate to God.  To commune with Him as friend with friend.  That’s how it was in the beginning.  Adam and Eve walked with God in sweet, loving relationship.  There was no fear, no awkward silence or strain in the relationship.  Just love and devotion.  It was literally, paradise.  Until everything changed through that one act.  That one act of defiance.  That moment when Adam was not satisfied with living in dependence and he chose to act independently of God.  He could decided for himself – right and wrong.  Immediately he knew things were different.  He heard the voice of God and rather than delight there was fear.  Instead of running toward the voice he ran from the voice.  Yet, as Adam hid, God sought.  “Adam!  Where are you?” Contrary to popular opinion our story, the story of the Gospel, is a love story.  While it is true all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and the wages of sin is death; the story of the Gospel is the story of God’s loving pursuit of sinful men and women.  I’m sure you are aware of the facts surrounding the Easter story.  Jesus rode into town on a donkey on Palm Sunday.  He rode in to the cheers of an adoring crowd shouting, “Hosannah!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”  Within days that adoring crowd had become an angry mob shouting, “Crucify him!  Crucify him!”  Through trumped up charges, false witnesses and political maneuvering Jesus was tried, convicted and sentenced to die.  He was taken just outside the city walls to Golgotha and there he was crucified.  It seemed like such a tragic waste.  It was so unjust.  How could God allow it to happen?  Ah, that’s just it.  God allowed it to happen because as tragic, ugly and disgusting as it was…it was the eternal will and purpose of God.  For, in eternity past, before Adam and Eve were created, God knew Adam would rebel.  He saw our need of a Savior.  He lovingly provide one in the person of his Son, the Lord Jesus.  This morning I was us to go behind the events of that Passion Week and understand the love story that drives it all.  Our text is found in Romans chapter 5.

Text: Romans 5:6-8

As we work our way through this great text we are reminded that… Thesis:  The glory of the cross is its profound demonstration of the love of God for sinners. There are 3 things I want to point out quickly.

1. The depth of God’s love is expressed through its extravagant cost.  (5:6-8)
2. The wonder of God’s love is found in the object of His affections.  (5:6-10)
3. The glory of God’s love is revealed in the benefits secured by the cross.  (5:9-10)

Intro:

It made sense.  It was very logical.  You could say it was a “no brainer.”  In fact it was so obvious he didn’t even need to pray about it!  God had been gracious in establishing a new united Israel.  David is at peace in his new palace.  His enemies have been subdued and all is well.  One afternoon David was having a conversation with his pastor, the prophet Nathan, and he said, “You know it’s just not right.  Me living in this fine house while the ark of God is out there in a tent.  I think I’ll build God a house.”  Nathan thought that was an outstanding idea.  You have to admit it made sense.  Later the people of God get scolded because they were busy building their own houses while God’s house lay in ruins.  It seemed like a good idea to everyone…everyone that is except for God himself.  Our text this evening is found in the 7^th chapter of 2 Samuel.

Text: 2 Samuel 7:1-17

Meaning well and doing well are two very different things.

It’s natural to want to “do” something for God.

But you really ought to pray about it.

Seek His will on the matter.

Consult His word.

It’s not like you’re going to “ruin the surprise” if you tell Him what you want to do.

He knows everything!

2 Samuel chapter 7 is one of the most important chapters in the Old Testament.  Walter Brueggeman names this chapter, “the dramatic and theological center of the entire Samuel corpus.”  He goes on to say, “this is one of the most critical texts in the Old Testament for evangelical faith.”  Dale Ralph Davis says this chapter is “drowning in ink.”  Volumes have been written exploring every angle of this chapter because here we find God’s covenant with David.  Here was find God establishing the Davidic Dynasty.  God makes profound promises to David and those who will follow in his lineage.

Here again it is important for us to remember that David is not the main character in this story.  Israel, as a nation, is not the focus.  The most important player in this drama, as in all the Scripture, is God himself.  Eugene Peterson points out that God is the subject of 23 verbs contained in God’s message to David.  Those verbs carry all the action.  This is about God and His doing.  This passage is about what God has done, is doing and will do.  So I want to keep that focus for our study together this evening.

We cannot take this passage and say this is about us.  These are promises made to David.  This is a message for David.  But we can look at these promises and see what they tell us about God.  That in turn does relate directly to us.

From that perspective, as we work our way through the first half of this chapter we are reminded that…

Thesis: God’s Kingdom is wholly of grace.

There is nothing new or earthshaking in that statement.  We know that – don’t we?  After all we love to sing, “amazing grace how sweet the sound that saves a wretch like me.”  We understand that we are saved by grace and not of works lest any of us think we have reason to boast.  But how often do we stop and consider grace?  When was the last time you meditated on the significance of God’s grace or considered the implications of God’s grace?

I want to point out 3 things quickly this evening.

1. God’s condescending grace.  (7:1-7)
2. God’s abiding grace.  (7:8-11)
3. God’s unwavering grace.  (7:12-17)

Conclusion:

God’s promise is that David’s dynasty is unstoppable.  He will overwhelm death, sin and time if need be to bring it about.  That is exactly what God has done.  The years wore on; everything from foolish failures to blatant wickedness marked the reigns of the Davidic kings; Israel is swept into exile and remains in subjugation to foreign powers.  But a child was born, a son was given.  In him was no sin.  He trampled all over death and has begun his endless reign at the place of supreme power and authority (the right hand of God).  The kingdom of God is unstoppable and it is all of grace.

The kingdom of God is wholly of grace.

And we are heirs of…

God’s condescending, abiding, unwavering grace.

Intro:

A few weeks ago I was at St. Francis hospital.  I got on the elevator and pushed the button for the floor I needed.  The door closed.  There was a bump and then nothing.  I pushed the button again.  Nothing.  I pushed the button to open the door.  Thankfully it opened.  I went to the next elevator.  The door opened and I got on and a hospital employee running down the hall yelled, “Hold the door.”  We pushed the button for our respective floors.  Nothing.  We looked at each other and both reached for the open button.  The door opened and I found the stairs!  As I was climbing the stairs I thought, “What if that had happened between floors?  What if I was stuck on an elevator?”  It’s never happened to me but I’ve often thought about it.  I can tell you if it happens I’ll not find any comfort from my fellow passengers.  The last thing I want is to feel a hand on my shoulder and a voice say, “I’m with you.”  I want to hear a voice from outside the elevator say, “We know your there.  We are working on it and we will get you out!”

It was a time of monumental change.  A new world power had been established.  Old alliances had toppled.  Governments were scrambling to make new alliances and pledge new loyalties.  What would this mean for the people of God?  Will this mean the end of captivity?  How will we be treated by the Persians?  Daniel turned to the Word of God and prayer for some answers.  Daniel 9:1-19 provides us a model for believing prayer.  This morning we consider God’s answer to Daniel’s prayer.

Text: Daniel 9:20-27

Daniel chapter 9 is a key passage for those who follow biblical prophecy.

Some refer to it as the “backbone of prophecy” and the the “key to prophetic interpretation.”

This is the text for Daniel’s 70 weeks.

Many will judge a commentary, a preacher or a ministry based on how they handle Daniel’s 70 weeks and that is unfortunate.  It is unfortunate because it is such a brief and obscure passage.  The prophecy is just 4 verses.  In addition the New Testament nowhere clearly or explicitly refers to the contents of this prophecy.  Yes Mark and Luke reference Daniel and the “abomination of desolation” but that is found also in Daniel 11:31 and Daniel 12:11.  It is also a mistake to deal with this prophecy without noting its context.

As I deal with this prophecy I want to set it in its context and show you what I believe God was saying to Daniel and to us.  And just so that I am clear, I’ll state up front, “I do not believe Daniel’s 70 weeks have anything to do with the 2^nd coming of Christ.”

I did not say, “I don’t think Daniel said anything about the 2^nd coming.”  I did not say, “Daniel is not important when considering prophecy and the return of Christ.”  I said, “I do not believe this text – the one laying out the 70 weeks – has anything to do with the return of our Lord.”  You may not agree with me and that’s okay.  Even if you think differently I’d say we are still in agreement on about 90% of what this prophecy is saying!

Now let’s look at the text…

Daniel is burdened by what is happening on the world scene.  He is burdened by the fact God’s temple has been destroyed.  He is burdened that God’s people are in captivity.  While he knows this is the righteous judgment of God, he is burdened that Jerusalem and God’s people have become a byword (an object of scorn or ridicule) among the nations (9:11).  So he cries out to God and God responds reminding us that…

Thesis: Peace, in the face of uncertainty, is found in our God and His gracious provision.

I want to point out 3 things as we work through this text.

1. Our comfort in times of distress and uncertainty rests in the God who hears our prayers and responds in love for His own.  (9:20-23)
2. Our comfort lies not in our prayers being answered but in God gracious provision of our deepest need and His sovereign control of all things.  (9:24-26a)
3. Ultimately our comfort or devastation depends on our response to God’s gift of His Son.  (9:26b-27)

Conclusion:

It was right for Daniel to pray that Jerusalem be rebuilt and that temple worship be reinstated but God wanted Daniel to see beyond these shadows and symbols and understand what they represented.  God’s ultimate purpose was not a temple made with hands and a holy place entered into once a year.  His son is the place in which we approach God.  His sacrifice is the one that brings forgiveness.  The others were types and shadows.  And as difficult as it must have been for him, Daniel had to understand that if the nation of Israel rejects God’s provision through His Son and cling to the shadows it would mean a terrifying judgment in the destruction of the temple and the sacred city.

The application is obvious.  Ultimately our peace rests in our trust and reliance on God’s provision through the Lord Jesus.

Intro:

I’m sure many would scratch their heads in wonder at the fuss made over moving a small wooden box.  It was quite a gathering.  There was a band, there were priests and even the king all gathered in this obscure little village about 9 miles west/northwest of Jerusalem.  It would seem a classic case of overkill until you realize that little wooden box was the symbol of the presence of the living God!  Once you understand that and then watch the events that unfold in 2 Samuel chapter 6 you understand this is a revelation of the God of Israel.

David now reigns over a united kingdom in a new capital city.  David desires to move the Ark of the Covenant from Kiriath-jeriam, where it has been in storage for years, to the new capital city where it will take its rightful place in the center of Israel’s national life.  What might be considered a routine task (moving a piece of furniture) proves to be anything but routine.  As we follow the story we learn somethings about worship and the joyful, terrifying presence of the living God.

Text: 2 Samuel 6:1-23

There are 3 things I want to point out as we work through this chapter.

1. The Centrality of God’s Presence with His People.  (6:1-2)
2. The Terror of God’s Presence.  (6:3-11)
3. The Joy of the Lord’s Presence.  (6:12-23)

Conclusion:

There are those who are concerned with services and externals and procedures and mechanics and meetings and decency and order but who really can’t understand anything of the joy of the Lord.  There are those who go crazy over sports who cannot muster anything but professional detachment over the Lord Jesus.  Exuberant praise and tears of repentance are strangers to them.

Worship ought to be filled with joyful trembling in the presence of the Living God.

The worship of God is to be central to all that we are and do.

Intro:

What do you do when things get confusing?  When your world gets turned upside down?  Where do you turn when life is overwhelming?  The Bible says we are more than conquerors through Christ.  We are assured that in the face of our greatest temptation our God will provide the way of escape so that we are able to stand.  The Lord Jesus is our peace.  He said, “Come to me all of you who are weak and heavy-burdened…you will find rest for your soul.”  Paul says the peace of God passes understanding.  Yet there are “un-peaceful,” chaotic days.  There are times when my faith wavers.  Times when life is more than I can handle.  What then?  He was an extraordinary man living in chaotic times.  Ripped from his homeland as a teenager he lived seven decades in a foreign land, serving pagan kings.  Seven decades in a land where people were commanded to bow to a statue of gold or face certain death.  A land where he is told do not seek your God for the next 30 days or you will be fed to the lions.  Yet he remained faithful to God and faithful to the king.  70 years in the public eye yet when his detractors sought to frame him they had nothing they could use!  There was no basis for an accusation.  He was a man of character, insight and profound wisdom.  How is that?  What was it about Daniel that enable him to stand tall in the midst of chaos?  How is it Daniel stood firm while the world crumbled around him?  We have a clue in Daniel 6:10:

When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.

Daniel was a man of prayer.  When I say “prayer” I mean communion with God.  There was a depth of knowledge and experience born out of abiding in God’s presence.  In chapter 9 the curtain is pulled back and we get a glimpse of Daniel’s prayer life.  Our text this morning is found in the ninth chapter of Daniel.

Text: Daniel 9:1-19

In chapter 7, Daniel is given a disturbing vision.  The winds blow across the great sea and out of the sea arises 4 terrifying beast.  Out of the chaos came 4 kingdoms each more terrifying then the one before.  It was clear, there are troubling days to come.  In chapter 8, two years later, he is given another vision.  This vision focused in on the 2^nd and 3^rd beasts.  That vision warned of a coming persecution that would be visited on the people of God.  A terrifying day of wrath in which the worship of God would be suspended, the temple desecrated and widespread destruction.  Our text is Daniel’s response to that vision.

The ram of chapter 8 has come to power.  Babylon is no more.  The events are beginning to unfold.  Daniel’s response is to search the Word of God and to pray.

As we work our way through this text we learn that…

Thesis: In times of confusion, uncertainty and doubt God’s people find peace through believing prayer.

I want to point out 4 principles of believing prayer from this chapter.

1. Believing prayer is anchored in the Word of God.  (9:1-3)
2. Believing prayer unflinchingly confesses sin.  (9:4-11)
3. Believing prayer boldly exalts God’s righteousness.  (9:11-14)
4. Believing prayer pleads for mercy on the basis of God’s covenant love.  (9:15-19)

Conclusion:

Ultimately Daniel’s concern was for the glory of God and the honor of His name.

In times of confusion, uncertainty and doubt God’s people find peace through believing prayer.

Such prayer:

• is anchored in the Word of God.  (9:1-3)
• unflinchingly confesses sin.  (9:4-11)
• exalts God’s righteousness.  (9:11-14)
• pleads for mercy on the basis of God’s covenant love.  (9:15-19)

Intro:

Are you patient?  Do you have difficulty waiting on things?  I’m not a patient person at all.  When I’m expecting something – I want it here yesterday!  The Scripture says, “They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength.”  That explains my weakness.  I sometimes argue with the Lord about His timing.  I say argue – it’s not much of an argument.  It’s really just me complaining and His shaking His head.  God’s timing is always perfect.  He’s never early.  Never late.  He’s always on time.  Seven and a half years David has been king of Judah waiting for the northern tribes to come around.  All the while he has been gaining strength.  Making alliances.  Being king but only over Judah.  Finally the path is clear and the day arrives when the elders of Israel come to Hebron.  Our text this evening is found in 2 Samuel chapter 5.

Text: 2 Samuel 5:1-25

• This text tells of the unification of the kingdom under David.
• What was promised years before finally becomes reality.

In this chapter we witness the tribes coming together; the recognition of a neighboring king; the expansion of David’s family; the establishment of a new capital and a new struggle with an old enemy.  Along the way we are reminded that…

Thesis: While David may be the king, the kingdom belongs to God.

This chapter is a bit different.  It is not chronological.  One writer said it is a “collage.”  We have a collection of snapshots pointing out different aspects of the kingdom spread out over time.  For instance the story of king Hiram building David a palace did not happen in connection with David’s anointing as king.  Hiram’s reign overlapped only with the last ten years of David’s reign.  So verse 11 reports something late in David’s reign.  Verses 13-16 are obviously a summary of the years of David’s reign in Jerusalem.  While verse 17 happens immediately after David’s anointing in verses 1-3.  This collage is given to summarize the nature of God’s kingdom. As we work our way through this chapter I want to point out the God-centered orientation of the kingdom.

1. Remember the kingdom of God is established by promise.  (5:1-10)
2. The kingdom of God is servant oriented.  (5:11-12) 
3. The kingdom of God prevails despite our foolish choices.  (5:13-16)
4. The kingdom of God advances by the power and wisdom of God.  (5:17-25)

Intro:

Do you ever have bad days?  Sometimes I feel like Alexander and I have a horrible, terrible, no good, very bad day.

I went to sleep with gum in my mouth and now there’s gum in my hair when I got up this morning.  I tripped on the skateboard and dropped my sweater in the sink when the water was running, and I could tell it was going to be a horrible, terrible, no good, very bad day….

In the carpool, Mrs. Gibson let Becky have the seat by the window and Audrey and Elliot got seats by the window too.  I said I was scrunched.  I said I was smushed.  I said, “If I don’t get a seat by the window I am going to get carsick.”  Nobody even answered me.  I could tell it was going to be a horrible, terrible, no good, very bad day…

There were two cupcakes in Philip Baker’s lunch bag and Howard got a Hershey bar with almonds, and Paul’s mother gave him a jelly roll-up that had little coconut sprinkles on top, guess whose mother forgot to put dessert in his lunch.  It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day…

There were lima beans for dinner.  I hate lima beans.  There was kissing on TV.  I hate kissing.  My bath was too hot, I got soap in my eyes, my marble went down the drain, and I had to wear my railroad train pajamas.  I hate my railroad train pajamas…it was a terrible, horrible, no good very bad day.   

(Judith Viorst, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day)

I’ve had those terrible, horrible, no good very bad days like Alexander.  Those days when nothing goes right.  I’ve also had those terrible, horrible, no good very bad days when the doctor said, “It is a tumor.  I’m calling the neurosurgeon and we’ll schedule surgery as soon as possible.”  I remember being on my way to lunch after church one Sunday afternoon when my phone rang.  My dad was crying on the other end saying, “Mom’s gone.”  Life in this fallen world is filled with heartache and disappointment.  Being a Christian does not make you immune.  In fact, because we believe the Bible, we know there are dark, troubling days on the horizon.  According to Scripture there are terrible, horrible, no good very bad days to come.  Daniel chapter 8 records a vision, given to Daniel in the 2^nd year of Belshazzar’s reign, that offers hope to the people of God.  The vision reminds us to look to God in faith when times get difficult because He is in control of all things.  Our text this morning is found in the 8^th chapter of Daniel.

Text: Daniel 8:1-27

The doctrine of the sovereignty of God is not a coffee table doctrine.  Something attractive for people to look at and admire.  It is an everyday doctrine intended to inform every decision and guide every step.

• This vision comes two years after the vision of chapter 7.
• Daniel was informed about the coming kingdoms.
• How each would come to power and have its day.
• But that each would fail and none would be autonomous.
• There is someone else running the show.
• The Ancient of Days who alone is eternal and who reigns supreme over all.

Through this vision we learn…

Thesis: In the midst of the darkest storm, in the face of your greatest challenge look to the Sovereign God enthroned above and find peace and rest for your soul.

While it is helpful to know “what” it is more comforting to know “who.”  While it is beneficial to have some understanding of how things are going to unfold it is more valuable to know the One who controls all things.  As we work our way through the text we are going to consider the vision, its interpretation and then draw some lessons from it.

1. The Vision – 8:1-14
2. The Interpretation – 8:15-27
3.  What do we learn?

• God controls all things.
• God graciously prepares His people for days of trouble.
• God righteously disposes of His enemies while mercifully delivering His people.

Intro:

It is something we are all good at.  It comes naturally to us as the fallen sons and daughters of Adam.  We are all good at “spin.”  We have the innate ability to tell the story in a way that benefits us.  It goes all the way back to the Garden.  “Adam, who told you that you were naked?  Did you eat the fruit off of that tree?”  “Lord, this woman, that you gave me, she told me to eat it.”  “Eve?”  “Well, you see there was this snake and he…”  It is part of our fallenness to dodge responsibility.  The most blatant and corrupt form of spin is when we try to us Scripture or the will of God to cloak our sinful, selfish behavior.  That is exactly what we find in our text this evening in 2 Samuel chapter 4.

Text: 2 Samuel 4:1-12

• We are in the early days of the Davidic Dynasty.
• David is king but only over Judah.
• A civil war has been raging.
• David has grown stronger and stronger while the house of Saul has gotten weaker and weaker.
• Chapter 4 tells of the end of that bitter civil war.

As we work our way through this chapter seeking it’s application for us I think we discover this timeless truth…

Thesis: Self-serving actions disguised as attempts to accomplish the will of God always prove disastrous.

• This is a dangerous game to be playing.
• It is a game you cannot win because God will not be mocked.

There are two things you need to know from this text.

1.  A godly veneer can never hide a godless act.  (4:1-8)
2.  Godly judgment is swift, thorough and complete.  (4:9-12)

Intro:

I used to be a “news junkie.”  I watched all the news programs, listened to talk radio, watched the Sunday news shows.  Not any more.  My blood pressure can’t take it!  I just got too frustrated listening to politicians skirt issues.  This side attacking that side and no one doing anything about the problems.  I look at what’s happening around the world and it’s depressing.  “Oh, but wait that’s what makes it so exciting.”  “We are living in the last days.”  “Don’t you understand? Prophecy is being fulfilled right before our eyes?”  That’s another thing.  Prophecy experts disagree about as much as politicians do.  Don’t misunderstand me.  It’s not that I don’t care.  I care very much.  In fact I’m praying, “Even so come Lord Jesus!”  Yes, I believe we are to watch and pray.  We are to discern the times in which we live.  I believe the Lord Jesus is coming again,  visibly, physically to this earth.  I believe that the time of His appearing is at hand.  He is at the door.  But honestly date setting and fingering the antichrist gives me a headache.  Too often we come to great prophetic passages and get so involved in understanding the details we lose sight of the glory of the big picture.  In trying to work out the details we miss out on the comfort the passage intended.  As a teenage boy he was taken from the comfort of his home, transported to a distant land, forced into the service of a pagan king.  He had a front row seat to the great power struggles of his age.  As a high ranking official he saw first hand the back room deals brokered by power hungry men.  He witnessed how the lust for power consumed otherwise reasonable men and blinded their judgment.  At times he must have thought, “God, where are you?”  When unrighteous men conquered nation after nation while the temple of God lay in ruins he must have thought, “How long O Lord?”

In the first year of the reign of Belshazzar Daniel was given a vision.  A vision that would comfort and yet trouble him.  He learned things are not as they seem but also learned more pain and suffering was to come.  Yet I’m convinced that peace and comfort come from understanding the message of Daniel’s vision.  Our text this morning is found in the seventh chapter of Daniel.

Text: Daniel 7:1-28

Most people love the book of Daniel but seldom move beyond chapter 6.

• They love the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
• They love the handwriting on the wall.
• Daniel and the lion’s den.

But the visions of the second half of the book while interesting, are best left to the experts.

• They are disturbing and confusing.
• Scholars don’t agree on their interpretation.
• They are too hard.

There are some things to keep in mind when dealing with these prophecies:

• We are dealing with apocalyptic works.
• Cartoon pictures/language.
• Tell a story through pictures.
• They are meant to leave you with an impression.
• The story is intended to impact you.
• We are not expected to trace down every detail (to do so would distort the message).
• Understand these visions are not given in a vacuum.
• While they may address issues for the distant future they also meant something to the original recipients.

Daniel and the people of Israel were in captivity.  Unable to sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land.  They were discouraged and depressed.  They wondered if they would ever see their home again.  They wondered if they would ever worship again in the temple.  It seemed the kingdom of God has ended the kingdom of man has prevailed.  God is about to tell them otherwise.

The message of Daniel 7 is…

Thesis: God, through Christ, subdues all kingdoms and reigns supremely over all the earth.

How do we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?  How do we keep going in the face of uncertainty, doubt and confusion?  We fix our eyes of the Sovereign Lord enthroned in heaven above.  Understanding that He raises up nations and disposes of them as He wishes.

There are two things I want to point out in our text.

1. The kingdoms of this world come to power and exercise their brutal, beastly force with varying degrees of success but they all eventually fail.  (7:1-8, 15-20, 23-26)
2. In contrast to the vacillating, chaotic nature of the kingdoms of this world, God’s sovereign rule has, does, and always will prevail.  (7:9-14, 21-22, 27-28)

Conclusion:

What do we learn from this vision?

• We must not be naive about the reality, the strength and durability of evil.
• Suffering is a reality in this life.
• We must look beyond the events of history to the One seated on heaven’s throne.
• Our great hope is not found in the power centers of this world.
• Our hope is found in the glory and splendor of our King!

Our God, through Christ, subdues all kingdoms and reigns supremely over all the earth.

Intro:

It has long been a concern of mine.  I understand that it may be helpful and effective in the short term but my concern is that it proves damaging in the long run.  We are often taught in witnessing classes and evangelism schools to focus on the benefits of salvation.  I can remember being taught to urge people to “try Jesus.”  Give him a shot.  What do you have to lose?  We’re not selling toothpaste.  We’re not pushing a product.  We really aren’t inviting people to accept Jesus.  Biblically we are to call men, women, boys and girls to repentance and faith.  The Sovereign of the universe does not come calling, hat in hand, begging an opportunity to prove himself.  Don’t misunderstand me.  There are tremendous benefits associated with salvation.  There is nothing wrong with understanding what those benefits are and rejoicing in them.  My concern is that too often our methods lead people to approach the church and the Faith with a “What’s in it for me” kind of attitude.  The result is faith and God become a means to an end.  Wittingly or unwittingly we are training people to use God for their own purpose.  That is a dangerous game as we will note in this evening’s text.

Text: 2 Samuel 2:12-3:39

• Saul is dead.
• David begins his reign as God’s chosen king.
• The kingdom has a small beginning.
• He is anointed king but only over Judah.
• Meanwhile Abner, Saul’s cousin, has Ish-bosheth (Saul’s son) installed as king over the northern tribes.
• A civil war begins that will last for 7 years.

This evening’s text is a sordid tale.  We have an account of battle; a family feud that proves fatal for the northern kingdom; an attempt to curry favor and a murder.  Just your average day in the establishment of an ancient near east kingdom.  But as we walk through the story there are some principles for us to draw out of it…

Thesis: God will not be mocked.  Any attempt to use God’s kingdom to advance your own agenda will end badly.

There are different ways people respond to God’s will and the working out of His kingdom.  We find 3 of them in our text.

1. There are those who blatantly defy the establishment of God’s kingdom.  (2:12-32)
2. There are those who seek to cut their losses and advance their interests by feigning interest in the advancement of God’s kingdom.  (3:1-21)
3. There are those who seek to use God’s kingdom to cloak their own wicked agenda.  (3:22-39)

Intro:

I thought it would get easier.  It just makes sense.  The longer you do something the better you know and understand it and it gets easier.  Right?  Do you remember learning to drive?  Everything was so strange.  You had to concentrate.  Keep your eyes on the road.  Check your mirrors.  Don’t touch the radio – every time you reach for the radio you steer in that direction!  Now I’m driving down the road and have no idea how I got where I am.  And, it’s not because I’m having issues and need medication.  It is because driving has become second nature.  It has gotten easier and requires less concentration.  I’m not exactly a handyman.  I remember changing the porch light.  It is not difficult.  Undo the ground and two wires.  Wire the new one.  Attach it to the wall.  Done.  The first time, it took me an hour and a half.  Now?  I can do it in an hour!  My point is, with repetition, with experience, things get easier.  So why isn’t that true when it comes to living our faith?  Abram responded to the call of God and left Ur of the Chaldea’s to follow the unknown God.  Throughout his pilgrimage his faith was tested again and again.  Each time building spiritual muscle that would be needed for the next great test.  Finally, after years of walking with God he faced his ultimate challenge.  “Abraham.  Take your son, the one you love,  Isaac and offer him in sacrifice to Me.”  At first light he sat out with the boy, the wood and the fire.  His son asked, “Father, where is the lamb?”  “God will provide,” Abraham answered.  His greatest challenge came late in life.  Each victory was preparation for that great test.  The apostle Paul was faithful to the call of God.  For his faithfulness he was stoned, beaten with rods, shipwrecked, falsely accused, imprisoned and ultimately was executed.  But he was able to say at the end, “I’ve finished the course.  I’ve kept the faith.”  As a teenage boy Daniel was taken captive by the Babylonians.  He was transported to Babylon, trained in the way of the Babylonians and served pagan kings for seven decades.  Now in his 80’s he faces his greatest challenge.  Our text this morning is found in the sixth chapter of Daniel.

Text: Daniel 6:1-28

• Daniel’s name means, “God is my judge.”
• He certainly lived up to his name.
• You member he refused the king’s food and stood his ground to honor his God.
• His three friends refused to bow before the image of gold and God was glorified.
• Now, after 70 years Daniel’s faith is again tested.

If Daniel’s name was part of a word association game the most common response would be, “lion’s den.”  It is the story Daniel is most associated with and one of the most recognizable stories in the Bible.  It would be easy to read this story and come to the conclusion that if you are faithful to God, He will be faithful to you.  The problem with that interpretation is that it gives a false promise.  I say false because we too often equate faithful with deliverance.  Yes, Daniel was delivered but we are not promise that we will be delivered.

In Hebrews 11:33 we do find that Daniel’s faith “stopped (shut) the mouths of lions.”  However if you continue reading you find others who suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.  37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated…(Hebrews 11:36-37).

To understand the message of Daniel 6 we need to remember the message of the book as a whole – God is sovereign.  He rules over men and nations.  He raise them up and disposes of them as He wills.  Daniel’s motivation for faithfulness is not reward oriented.  He doesn’t serve God because of what he gets out of it.  The message of Daniel 6 is…

Thesis: The love, mercy, grace and glory of our God demand our faithfulness no matter what our circumstance and regardless of the cost.

We are faithful.  We serve Him because He is worthy!

There are three things I want to point out from our text.

1. Our lives are to continually reflect the character and nature of our God.  (6:1-9)
2. Our lives are to remain consistent despite our ever-changing culture.  (6:10-17)
3. Our deepest desire is that our lives bring glory to our God.  (6:18-28)

Conclusion:

I don’t know if you’ve noticed but there are many who do not end well.  Of those who begin the race with great excitement and promise few cross the finish line with the same zeal and passion.  After a lifetime of ups and downs, victories and defeats most are just grateful it is over.  My prayer is that you will live a life of faithfulness that leads to even greater faithfulness that ensures when you face your greatest test you will stand tall.  Blameless before God and blameless before men to the praise of God’s glory and grace.

Intro:

Do you ever get frustrated with the will of God?  Are you ever impatient with God’s timing?  No?  Do you lie about other things too?  We’ve all had those times when we’ve cried out, “How long O’ Lord?”  The Bible promises God will never leave or forsake His own.  It promises that God will supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory.  It says the God will not be mocked – you will reap what you sow and that righteousness will prevail.  Yet, there are times when it seems to me wickedness marches on unabated while righteousness is flushed down the drain!  Imagine what it must have been like to be told, by God, that you are king and yet you live in hiding for years while the rejected king lives in luxury.  Add to that the fact you have gracious spared his life on a couple of occasions while he has made numerous attempts on your life.  Yes David said the kingdom was God’s to give and not his to take.  I understand that.  I appreciate that.  But don’t you think David said more than once, “When is this guy going to die?”  Don’t you think David grew weary?  Faith does not eliminate frustration.  David was a man after God’s own heart but he was a man.

Finally word comes that Saul is dead.  What is David’s response?  Profound grief.  He writes a lament and demands that it be taught to all the people.  “How the mighty have fallen,” he cried.  Okay, grieve.  That’s a good thing but now you are king!  Assume the throne.  What’s your first order of business?  How do you proceed?  But there is a problem.  Not everyone is on board.  David is anointed king but only over one tribe – Judah.  The other tribes unite around Ish-bosheth the son of Saul.  It will be another seven years before David is king over a united Israel.  Our text this evening is found in 2 Samuel chapter 2 as we consider the early days of David’s reign as king.

Text: 2 Samuel 2:1-11

• This is not the most exciting text.
• It seems it is just the tale of political struggle in the ancient Near East.
• But it is far more than that.
• This is the beginning of the reign of Israel’s greatest king.
• The establishment of the Davidic Kingdom.
• Messiah will one day take the throne of David.
• Don’t despise small beginnings this is the start of something big!

As we work our way through these 11 verse we will find that…

Thesis: The opening days of David’s reign as king provides us insight for seeing God’s will accomplished in our own lives.

We are so accustom to instant access and quick fixes we want what we want now.

The thought of something taking time to develop is not at all appealing.

For David, it has already been a long time.

Let’s watch the drama unfold before us and see if we can draw some lessons from it.

1. David seeks to establish the kingdom through Divine guidance rather than assuming his “rightful” place.  (2:1-4)
2. David seeks to build his kingdom through diplomacy and grace rather than brute force.  (2:5-7)
3. Abner seeks to maintain control through defiant rebellion against the will of God.  (2:8-11)

As we seek to see His kingdom extend to the ends of the earth.

Intro:

It is universally recognized as wrong.  It is the kind of thing that ought to be avoided.  Most everyone would say it is foolish and ignorant and yet virtually all of us engage in it in some form.  Presumption.  The dictionary defines presumption as:

• …an act or instance of taking something to be true or adopting a particular attitude toward something…
• an idea that is taken to be true, and often used as the basis for other ideas, although it is not known for certain…
• …behavior perceived as arrogant, disrespectful, and transgressing the limits of what is permitted or appropriate.

I want to focus on the second part of the definition.  “An idea that is taken to be true, and often used as the basis for other ideas, although it is not know for certain.”  I would add that it is acted upon as the truth though it is not known to be true.  When it comes to spiritual matters “presumption” has run amuck!  The average person’s spiritual life is like presumption on steroids.  Their spiritual lives are not based upon the Word of God but on their own ideas.  Their own assumptions about the nature of God.  The average person assumes it is God’s job to make us happy; to see that we have a good self-image and we are able to cope with life.  The idea is that God is in the blessing business.  The problem is, that is as far as they go.  They take a part of the truth and treat it as if it were the whole truth.

It is okay to believe in God provided you don’t talk about sin and judgment and all that stuff from less informed and more primitive religions.  The notion that a judgment day is coming is considered a joke.  When you hear of judgment on the world you picture a man with a cardboard sign, dirty and disheveled standing on a street corner warning of Armageddon.  The truth is the judgment of God is no joke.  It is central to the message of the Gospel.  The reason the Gospel is “good news” is because the judgment of God is real.  God’s holiness demands judgment.  Though the message of judgment was once a staple in Christian preaching it has all but disappeared.  In fact, in many circles, the God of the Old Testament is pitted against the God of the New Testament.  The God of the Old Testament was a God of wrath and fire while the God of the New Testament is a God of love and compassion.  At best that is a misguide understanding.  Hebrews 10:26-31 makes it clear that the New Testament God is a God of judgment!  Perhaps the most striking illustration of the severity of God’s judgment is found in Daniel chapter 5.  The year was 539 b.c.   The place was Babylon.  A godless pagan ruler in the midst of a drunken orgy finally sees the handwriting on the wall but it was too late.  Judgment had come.  Our text this morning is found in Daniel chapter 5.

Text: Daniel 5:1-31

In chapter 4 we saw an example of God’s love and kindness extended to a wicked king.  God graciously revealed himself but Nebuchadnezzar arrogantly ignored His message.  Until God got his attention through unusual means.  The king went insane and lived like an animal for 7 years. At the end of that time the once mighty king acknowledge God’s sovereignty; his own unworthiness and God’s justice and holiness.  It was a remarkable change brought by God’s mercy and grace.

Now the story moves ahead nearly 50 years.  Nabonidus is now king.  He was not a descendent of Nebuchadnezzar though he took his name.  Nabonidus built a palace south of Babylon and ruled from their and established his son, Belshazzar, as co-regent in Babylon.  As the chapter opens Belshazzar is hosting a banquet.  It is a night of feasting and celebrating.  Little does he know his kingdom and his life will end in just a few hours.

His tragic story serves to remind us that…

Thesis: The judgment of God falls on the unrighteous.

This chapter shows God bringing his judgment to bear upon a wicked, godless, and arrogant young ruler.  It is a vivid reminder of what the prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 40:23-24:

…who brings princes to nothing,

and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.

24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,

scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,

when he blows on them, and they wither,

and the tempest carries them off like stubble.

God is sovereign over kings and rulers and brings them to power and disposes of them as he wishes.  This is the message throughout the book of Daniel.

There are three things for us to note as we make our way through this chapter.

1. Man, in his arrogance, profanes the holy.  (5:1-4)
2. God in His righteousness condemns the wicked.  (5:5-29)
3. God’s judgment is certain and complete.  (5:30-31)

Intro:

Within hours of the young man committing suicide in Coweta people showed up with flowers and other trinkets putting together a makeshift shrine.  Drive down most any highway and you’ll find a cross with some faded plastic flowers marking the scene of a fatality accident.  There is something basic to our make up that feels the need to respond publicly to tragic events.  When it becomes a national event the need is even more profound.  On a personal level grief touches each one of us.  The mortality rate is a solid 100%!  When you love someone and they are taken from you it hurts.  Grief is natural.  We all handle grief differently.  There is no set pattern.  There is no set form or duration.  I can’t look at you and say, “You’re doing it wrong.”  Nor can I look at you and say, “Okay, move on already.”  We are all different and we move through grief at our own pace.  Andrew Bonar the great 19^th century Scottish pastor noted the anniversary of his wife’s death in his diary every year until his own death nearly 30 years later.  As one writer put it, “Grief not only irrupts; it abides.”  But my question is, “how ought we to grieve biblically?”  Are there biblical principles of grief?  I think there are and to help with that I want us to consider 2 Samuel chapter 1 beginning at verse 17.

Text: 2 Samuel 1:17-27

God has given David success in the Southern campaign.

He is back at his home base in Ziklag.

Word comes from the Northern campaign at Mt. Gilboa.

The army of Israel has been routed and both Saul and Jonathan are dead.

I think Ralph Davis is right.  We must not rush into our text and start doing psychoanalysis.  We first ought to sit down with David and feel what he is feeling.  Get a sense of what was happening before we start drawing conclusions.

David has lived “on the run” for years.  This in spite of the fact God had anointed him king.  In spite of the fact that God had rejected Saul.  Saul continues to reign.  David continues to hide.  Though David had opportunity to seize the kingdom he refused to lift his hand against God’s anointed.  The kingdom was God’s to give not for David to take.

Now the kingdom is his but he doesn’t act very kingly…or does he?

David’s heart, his concern is for God’s glory, God’s kingdom and the good of his people.  His actions prove God knew what He was doing in anointed David king.  David’s response is one of profound grief.  Grief for the nation.  Grief for Saul and for Jonathan.  As we explore his grief we’ll note some principles of biblical grief.

I want to point to 3 things from our text.

1. Biblical grief is a shared experience.  (1:17-18, 24)
2. Biblical grief is honest.  (1:19-22)
3. Biblical grief expresses a profound depth of emotion.  (1:23-26)

Conclusion:

Grief is natural.  When you love and you experience loss there will be grief.  May we grieve biblically.  Biblical grief

• Is a shared grief.
• It is profoundly honest.
• It expresses a depth of emotions.

Intro:

I was laying in my hospital bed the day after surgery.  The doctor came in and explained what he had done the day before.  “You know it took Dr. Fell 4 hours to chisel through your skull.”  Really?  He ended the explanation with, “We did not cover the hole with a plate, we stuffed it with fat and then closed.”  I said, “So, you are telling me I’m thick-skulled and fat-headed?”   He said, “Exactly.”  The funny thing was I had teachers who had been telling me that for years!  Some of us are slow leaners.  I don’t mean we have learning disabilities that make it difficult for us to learn, I mean we are stubborn and often have to learn our lessons the hard way.  More than once my dad would shake his head and say, “You’d think you would have learned your lesson last time but I guess you prefer to learn the hard way.”  Of course I’m not alone in the “hard way club” our membership is quite large.  I will have to admit the lessons learned the hard way are lessons not easily forgotten.  In fact when the lesson is learned the response is generally – “I’m not going to do that again!” There is one member of our club who really stands out.  In fact if the Hard Way Club ever builds a museum he ought to have his own wing.  He was the most powerful man on earth.  Nations trembled before him.  His word was law.  His glory was unsurpassed.  He had been told that his power and glory was a gift from the God of Heaven and Earth.  By grace he had been given world dominion.  He was also told that his glory and power would fade.  Another would take his place.  He had been rocked by a troubling dream.  He had seen a demonstration of power well beyond his own…yet he had not learned his lesson but he was about to.  Boy, did he ever learn it the hard way.  His story is recorded for us in Daniel chapter 4 and hopefully you can learn from his experience and not have to travel that same road.

Text: Daniel 4:1-37

• He had some profound religious experiences.
• God got his attention through that dream of the statue.
• But the experience soon worn off and there was no change.
• That was evidenced by his building of the image of gold in defiance of God’s message.

He demanded that all the people bow and worship at the foot of his image on the penalty of death.  When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused he was enraged.  He again threatened them with death in the fiery furnace.  He arrogantly boasted, “Who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”  He got his answer!  Three men, bound, were cast into the fire but as he looked into the furnace there were 4 men unbound and dancing and the 4^th appeared the be a son of the gods!  He called for them to come out.  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego come out on harmed with not even the smell of smoke upon them.  The king declared the greatness of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s god but there was still no change.

But note the beginning of chapter 4.

4:1-3 – now there is a change.

• “…the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me” (2).
• “…His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion endures from generation to generation” (3).
• Look at 4:37 – “…Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are right and His ways are just; and those who walk in pride He is able to humble.”

What brought about this change?

The key is in the last phrase – “…and those who walk in pride He is able to humble.”

As we explore what happened to the king we will see that…

Thesis: King Nebuchadnezzar’s experience vividly demonstrates the wonderful truth that God in love and kindness humbles the proud so that they can glory is God’s sovereign mercy and grace.

The chapter open’s with the king’s testimony of God’s sovereign work.  A testimony to all peoples, nations, and languages (the same group order to bow before the image of gold in 3:4).  As we work through this chapter I want to point out 4 things along the way.

1. God, in love and kindness, disrupts the comfortable heart of the sinful.  (4:4-18)
2. God, in grace, warns of the wages of sin.  (4:19-27)
3. God, in righteousness, judges the proud and arrogant.  (4:28-33)
4. God, in mercy, restores the repentant.  (4:34-37)

Intro:

Life is a series of choices.  We make choices everyday.  Some of them are obviously more impactful and meaningful than others but we make hundreds of choices every day.  Coco Puffs or oatmeal?  Coat or light jacket?  Give it my all or loaf?  Marry him or wait for someone great?  Choices.  While there are consequences to every choice some are more serious than others.  Of course the most important decision you will ever make is choosing whether you will trust Christ alone for salvation or if you will stand on your own before God.  It is that choice I want us to think about for a while this morning.  Too often we think of that choice as a “one time decision.”  While I admit there must be that decisive moment when you stop trusting in yourself, turn from your sin and trust Christ – that is not the end of the matter.  That decision leads then to other decisions.  That choice affects other choices.  Jesus said, “If you want to follow me you must take up your cross daily and follow Me.”  To belong to Christ is to daily chose to follow Him.  To chose His will over your will.  To obey His commands and to yield to His purposes rather than follow your own agenda.  According to James, the half-brother of our Lord, workless faith is a dead faith.  The life of faith is a life of obedience, a life of doing the will of God.  It is not an easy life and it demands remarkable courage as our text this morning powerful demonstrates.  Our text this morning is found in the 3^rd chapter of the book of Daniel.

Text: Daniel 3:1-30

• Daniel and his friends have been exiled to Babylon.
• They have been trained in Babylonian philosophy, science and culture.
• They have been groomed for service in the court of the king.
• They have distinguished themselves through uncompromising faith.

In chapter 2 Daniel is given insight from God to interpret the king’s troubling dream.  God had a message for Nebuchadnezzar and the world.  The kingdoms of this world come and go (according to God’s desire) but God’s kingdom abides forever.  Nebuchadnezzar was told his kingdom was great and glorious (head of gold).  He was a king of kings thanks to God’s gracious gift.  But his kingdom, like of of man’s kingdoms, would be replaced by another.  Apparently Nebuchadnezzar didn’t like that message as his building project suggests.

This text serves to remind us that…

Thesis: The life of faith takes God at His word and willingly submits to His sovereign purpose.

There are 3 things I want to point out as we make our way through this chapter.

1. The way of the world often stands in conflict with and in defiance of the way of our God.  (3:1-7)
2. When faced with such a conflict you must exercise courageous faith.  (3:8-18)
3. God sovereignly demonstrates His faithfulness in the midst of the conflict.  (3:19-30)

Intro:

We, as the people of God, are call to be a “peculiar” people.  A people governed by different principles; driven by a higher standard.  It seems to me we are quick to expect, in fact demand, behavior from the world but are not willing to govern our own.  We call for a boycott of Disney while ignoring sin in our midst.  I remember some time ago when there was a scandal involving a minister.  A pastor commented to me, “They are holding him to a higher standard than they are demanding of themselves.”  I said, “Well they should!”  More is expected of us as God’s children.  Don’t forget Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount said, “Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.”  That’s a high standard.  We are to bear the family resemblance.  If we are the children of God we should appear godly.  This evening as we think about living according to kingdom principles I want us to consider the first chapter of Second Samuel.

Text: 2 Samuel 1:1-16

• Even a casual glance at 2 Samuel reveals that David is the key character.
• His life dominates the pages of the book.
• However we must remember 2 Samuel isn’t about David.
• It is about God!

As Dale Ralph Davis says, “We must divorce ourselves from this People magazine approach to biblical narrative.”  His point being that we get caught up in the stories of individuals and forget they are only part of a larger drama.  The Scripture is God’s revelation.  Its purpose is to make Him known.  We read the Bible to discover who God is, what He has done, how we can know Him and how we are to live.

Davis goes on to say, “Again and again as we read 2 Samuel we have to shake ourselves and say, ‘This is not about David; it is no even about covenant kings; it is about a covenant God who makes covenant promises to a covenant king through whom he will preserve His covenant people.’”

Thus as we read we need to be asking, “What does this say about God and how we are to relate to Him/live?”

As we open chapter 1 we are reminded that we are in the middle of a story.  1 and 2 Samuel are actually one book.  Chapter 1 is the continuation of the story begun 1 Samuel.  In reading the first 16 verses there is a part of me that says, “What am I to make of this?  What lessons can be learned from a lie, wailing and an execution?”  Just what I need for an uplifting Sunday evening message.

But there is something of great importance for us in these opening verses.

For here we are reminded that…

Thesis: Life in the Kingdom of God is guided by some basic principles.

I want to point out 3 of them from this text.

1. God will not be mocked, your sins will find you out!  (1:1-10)
2. Life in the kingdom is about God’s glory and the well being of His body – not personal fulfillment.  (1:11-12)
3. Holy fear motivates kingdom living.  (1:13-16)

Intro:

Are you a dreamer?  I don’t mean a visionary or trailblazing pioneer.  I mean do you dream at night?  Do you ever have one those disturbing dreams?  The one where you are do to graduate and realize that you have one class you’ve not gone to all semester?  Panic sets in.  “Maybe the teacher will cut you some slack.”  “Maybe you can pass the final exam.”  I’ve had that one more than once and I always wake up in a panic.  The worst is my reoccurring dream of getting up to preach and realizing I’m in my underwear!  You don’t have to be a prophet to figure that one out.  I feel inadequate for the job, plain and simple.  He was the most powerful man on earth.  His lust for power had driven him to greater and greater heights.  His armies covered the earth like a plague.  Nation after nation fell before his superior might.  At the height of his power he had a dream.  A dream that terrified him.  A dream that stripped away his mask of invisibility and revealed him to be petty and insecure.  He called in the wise men, the magicians and the astrologers and demanded an interpretation of his dream.  Either they would tell him the dream and its interpretation or they would all die.  He did eventually get his interpretation.  But it came as some good news mixed with bad news.  He learned some things he wished he hadn’t and he was told some things he didn’t want to hear.  The whole experience has been recorded for us and proves to be enlightening for all.  Our text this morning is found in the second chapter of Daniel.

Text: Daniel 2:1-49

• Daniel and his three friends were among the first exiles taken from Jerusalem to Babylon.
• They were taken because they were of the best and brightest of the land.
• They were being groomed for service in the Babylonian court.
• Daniel and his friends distinguished themselves through their uncompromising faith.
• That story is told in the first chapter of Daniel.
• Chapter 2 is still early in the captivity.
• Daniel is still in his teens and is rising in power when the dream occurs.
• Once again Daniel’s faithfulness to God will propel him to greater heights.
• There is one technical note in this text I need to call to your attention.  Look at verse 4.  We read, “…the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic…”
• Daniel 2:4-7:28 is written in Aramaic.
• For the most part the Old Testament is written in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek.
• There are passages however that are in Aramaic, this being the largest.
• Aramaic was the “universal” language at that time.
• Daniel 2-7 tell of God’s dealings with the Babylonians and succeeding kingdoms.
• Thus it is written for the widest possible audience!
• Written in the language of the people so that the people would understand.

The dominant note throughout the book is the sovereignty of God.  God is in control of all things.  History is moving toward a predetermined end.  The prophecies contain in this chapter are so accurate, liberal scholars insist it had to have been written much later.  After the fact as an explanation for what happened not before as a prophecy of what would come to pass!

One of the great things about this passage is that God reveals his sovereign purpose not through visions given to holy men but through a dream given to a pagan ruler bent on world domination, convinced of his own invincibility.  As we work our way through this chapter we will discover that…

Thesis: Nebuchadnezzer’s troubling dream proves to be enlightening for the ungodly, the righteous and the kingdoms of this world.

1. When confronted with God’s sovereignty the ungodly show their true colors.  (2:1-13)
2. Times of crisis and severe testing serve to reveal the true character of godliness.  (2:14-30)
3. Through it all God declares the glory of His eternal kingdom.  (2:31-49)

Conclusion:

The message is clear.  The rise and fall of nations and empires is not primarily to be understood militarily, financially or politically but morally and spiritually.  The destruction of these kingdoms is not an accident of history but is the work of God’s judgment against those who turned from His laws and have forsaken His Word.

The message was for king Nebuchadnezzer, the kingdoms of this world, the people of God and all others – “God is in charge.  He is sovereign over all things and His purposes will be fulfilled in all the earth.”

Intro:

Do you ever find it difficult to live out your faith?  Are you ever faced with choosing between being faithful to the will of God or obeying your employer?  Have you ever had to worry that being faithful to the Scripture might cost you a friendship?  Has your faith ever created problems within your family?  The life of faith is not an easy life.  Living out the commands of our God in a culture that is increasingly hostile to Him is difficult to say the least.  True you’ve not had to resist to the point of death or anywhere near that yet.  But your life of faith can cost you greatly. How do we remain faithful in faithless days?  How do we pursue godliness in godless times?  He was a young man in his mid to late teens when he was taken from his safe/secure environment and placed in a hostile land, forced into the service of a godless king, schooled in pagan thinking and yet for seven decades he stood as a shining example of faith and godliness.  His name was Daniel and he has much to teach us.

This morning we begin a study of the book of Daniel.  To open the book of Daniel is to enter a strange new world.  We find ourselves in Babylon six centuries before the birth of Christ.  We read the words of a man who knew God intimately and to whom God revealed His secrets.  The story begins in 605 B.C. and ends around 537 B.C.  Thus his life spans the entire Babylonian captivity.  The book is divided into 2 parts.  Chapters 1-6 are biographical telling of the exploits of Daniel and his three friends.  While chapters 7-12 record visions and their interpretation.  There is one other important background note.  We, westerners, think linear.  We think of time and history in terms of a beginning a middle and an end.  We think in terms of sequence.  This happened and then that happened and it ended with this.  But people from the east think in terms of cycles.  Thus their histories often tell the same story from multiple angles or perspectives.  That’s important because Daniel focuses on one grand theme but comes back to it again and again from different perspectives and that is important to note for our understanding of the book.  With that in mind let’s look at Daniel chapter 1.

Text: Daniel 1:1-21

Verses 1 and 2 set the context for us.  Our story opens with two succinct statements about the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzer, king of Babylon.  I say there are two statement because it is described in two ways.

1:1 = from the view of secular history.

1:2 = the same event informed by biblical theology.

Nebuchadnezzer sieged Jerusalem and God gave them into his hand.  Which is the truth?  The Babylonians took the city or God gave the city over?  Yes!  Nebuchadnezzer in his lust for power and land conquered the world and thus he served God’s sovereign purpose.  The immediate result of the siege of Jerusalem was that God was robbed of His possessions and blasphemies were committed against His name.  Vessels of gold were taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem and placed in the temple of idols in Babylon.  The Babylonian gods were praised for the defeat of Israel’s God.  The best and brightest of Israel were spirited away.  It was a dark, tragic day for God’s people.  Now doubt the cries went up throughout Judah, “Where was God when the Babylonians came?”  “Has He forgotten His promise?  Has He abandon us in the hour of our greatest need?”

Yet the biblical writer knew better.  This is the work of God.  The work of His hand.

The book of Daniel is a grand and glorious statement of the sovereignty of God and His grand purpose the establishment of His kingdom.  The book is an encouragement to the people of God throughout the ages that regardless of how things look or feel God is in control and He is working all things for our good and His glory.

Daniel and his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were taken and forced into the service of the godless king.  Now they become our teachers and chapter one gives us our first lesson.

Thesis: Faithfulness in the face of a godless culture demands an uncompromising faith.

Psalm 137 is about life in Babylon during the captivity.  The Psalmist gives us a glimpse of the spiritual decline of those days:

1 By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion.

2 On the willows there we hung up our lyres (harps).

3 For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion!

4How shall we sing the LORD‘s song in a foreign land?

The answer to that penetrating questions is found in a life of uncompromising faith.  I want to point out to you, from our text, three things about uncompromising faith.

1. Uncompromising faith demands vigilant awareness of the daily threats to faith.  (1:3-7)
2. Uncompromising faith demands determined obedience even in mundane and everyday things.  (1:8-16)
3. Uncompromising faith enjoys God’s gracious favor.  (1:17-21)

Intro:
Have you ever been given an impossible task?  Called to do something you could not possibly do?  Robertson Elementary School.  The President’s Physical Fitness Test.  I hated that thing.  I didn’t understand why we had to do it – I don’t think Mr. Nixon ever got a report on how I was doing!  Mr. Robinson would say, “Rodney it’s your turn.”  “Do I have to?”  “Yes, everyone has to.  You can do it.”  I hated that bar.  I climbed up, took hold of the bar, hung there for a fraction of a second and then dropped to the floor.  “Oh, you almost did a pull up that time.  Nice try.”  Yeah, right.  It was humiliating.  It’s one thing to be the “fat kid” who gets embarrassed once a year in front of the whole class.  It’s another to be assigned to lead troops into battle against overwhelming odds. Joshua and the children of Israel had crossed over the Jordan River in miraculous fashion.  They were on the outskirts of Jericho.  Jericho was a large fortified city.  Most of the children of Israel had never even seen a fortified city.  They were not an army.  They were not trained and they were inadequately armed.  The battle was just hours away.  Joshua, their leader, was restless.  I’m sure he wished he could talk to Moses but Moses is dead and buried.  He was their leader now.  The mantle of leadership was weighing heavy that night as Joshua left the camp.  He wanted some time alone.  Time to entreat the Lord about tomorrow’s battle.

•  Just ahead of him something flashed.
• Not sure what it was, Joshua moved closer for a better look.
• There stood a warrior in full battle dress.
• A less courage man would have run but not Joshua he approached the mysterious figure.
•  “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
•  Joshua’s encounter with this strange warrior would become a milestone in his life and in the story of the people of God.

Text: Hebrews 11:30; Joshua 5-6 Hebrews 11= the “hall of faith” Great, shining examples of faith & courage. Context of the book of Hebrews = second generation believers who are being tempted to turn back and abandon the faith.  They are struggling to believe.

Thesis: Courageous faith overcomes incredible odds.

3 things about courageous faith from our text.

1. Courageous faith requires a proper allegiance.  (Joshua 5:13-15)
2. Courageous faith demands a proper focus.  (Joshua 6:1-7)
3. Courageous faith demands obedience.  (Joshua 6:8-20)

Intro:

You don’t hear much about it anymore.  It never makes the top ten list.  I’m not all that crazy about it myself!  Judgment.  Wrath.  Warning.  The church is supposed to encourage, love and support people not scare them.  According to one study a majority of seminary students thought it was in poor taste to tell someone they would go to Hell.  I understand that we don’t like to think about it.  I certainly do not enjoy the thought of people spending eternity in a place of pain and punishment.  Anyone who does needs some serious help.  But truth is not determined by popularity.  It is not determined by majority vote.  For us, as the people of God, truth is revealed in the Word of God.

Further, love in a time of danger is expressed as a stern warning.  Acceptance and encouragement in a time of grave danger is treachery.  If you see your child heading for an electrical outlet with a piece of wire in his hand is that a time for stern rebuke or loving approval?  Do you cry, “No!  Stop!” or “Yeah, good for you.  You are so smart.  Yes you are?”

That sets the stage for our text this morning found in Hebrews chapter 10.

Text: Hebrews 10:26-31

Thesis: The rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ results in the terrifying judgment of the living God.

There are 3 things I want to point out from our text concerning rejection and judgment.

1. To reject the Lord Jesus eliminates the only legitimate answer to your sin.  (10:26-27)
2. The rejection of Christ results in judgment without mercy.  (10:28-29)
3. The judgment of God is inevitable and impartial.  (10:30-31)

Intro:

It was an impressive sight.  It was larger than life.  It promised joy, excitement, thrills and adventure.  I was strangely drawn to it.  I long to experience it – but it was off limits.  I had been denied the joy it promised in the past but today was different.  Today I would be allowed to experience the full joy of Zingo – the biggest, most wonderful rollercoaster in the whole world.  There it stood the main attraction of Belle’s Amusement Park on the corner of the Tulsa Fair Grounds.  The wooden giant was right there before my eyes.  I could see it.  I heard the screams.  The earth moved beneath my feet.  It called to me.  My heart pounded with anticipation.  As we walked around the park my eyes remained focused on Zingo.  The day grew long.  At times my heart grew faint.  Just when I was about to give up hope – I found myself standing at the ticket booth.  The moment I had waited for had finally arrived.  I was in line.  My heart was beating out of my chest.  Fear began to set in.  This thing is even bigger up close.  When was the last time it was inspected?  Is this thing safe?  Wait a minute how do I get off this thing?

That must have been what it was like for the people of God as they stood on the threshold of the Promise Land.  For over 500 years the children of Abraham anticipated the fulfillment of God’s promise.  During the years of captivity they hung on to that promise.  Through 40 years of wilderness wandering they anticipated this day.  Now at last it had come.  They were filled with “sweet nausea.”  There is the joy and excitement of entering the land and the fear of the unknown.  How important was this crossing of the Jordan into the Land of Promise?  The Holy Spirit takes three chapters to tell the story!  Our text this morning is found in Joshua chapters three, four and five.

Text: Joshua 3:1-5:12

• Moses is dead and buried.
• Joshua is installed as the leader.
• The spies have returned from Jericho.
• Now is the time to enter Canaan.

This would be a good time to mention the difficulties in interpreting and teaching narrative passages.  What we have in these chapters is the historical narrative of crossing the Jordan.  When dealing with these chapters we must avoid “allegorizing” or “spiritualizing” the text.  Saying, “This is about living the abundant life” or treating the Promise Land as code for the Christian life.  These are actual events.  This passage is not about living in victory, but it is legitimate to draw some principles from the text.  To say as we look at their actions we learn some things about living out our faith.  Drawing lessons from rather than saying “this is the meaning of this text.”

In that context I think it this is a good passage to consider as we enter a new year.  We enter 2013 with a lot of uncertainty.  The fiscal cliff, some changes that will definitely affect our pocket books in the year to come.  We are just two weeks removed from the shooting in Newtown.  We know about the concerns in Bartelsville.  It seems everyday’s news brings word of another shooting in our city.  The new year brings its challenges and yet there is the hope of better days, the promise of God’s provision and the assurance of His presence.

As we consider our text in Joshua…

Thesis: The story of Israel’s entrance into the Land of Promise serves to teach us three foundational principles about our walk with God.

While this is the account of their entering the land in fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham and his descendants – we would do well at ask, “Why God led them as He did and what does that say to us?”

Let me point out three things – one from each chapter.

1. The absolute necessity of God’s sovereign presence leading the way.  (3:1-17)
2. The indispensable need to remember and reflect on God’s wondrous works.  (4:1-24)
3. The continuous need to revisit and reaffirm our commitment.  (5:1-12)

Intro:

It was a beautiful starlit night.  The shepherds had gathered their flocks for the evening.  They were gathered about the campfire where they told stories and laughed.  It was a night like any other.  Like the hundreds that had gone before.  They recounted the events of the day, rehearsed the schedule for the next.  These were most likely “temple shepherds” charged with caring for those sheep that would one day be offered in the temple at Jerusalem.  Perhaps their thoughts turned toward David, the shepherd king.  He too had watch over flocks on these same hills.  It was a night like any other night filled with routine and monotony – suddenly there was a flash of brilliant light.  In their presence stood a fiery messenger, an angel of God – they were terrified!  “Stop fearing,” commanded the visitor.  “I bring you good news of a great joy that shall be for all the people.  Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”  After telling them where and how they would find him, the sky was ablaze as a multitude of the heavenly host burst on the scene with the praise of God.  Then just as suddenly they vanished.  All was still and quiet.  No one moved.  No one said a word.  Finally one of them spoke, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened.”  They took off like a shot.  When they found the child they relayed the story of what had happened to them.  They returned to their flocks glorifying and praising God.

You know the story well, perhaps too well.  You’ve heard it recited by children in a Christmas pageant.  You’ve heard it sung.  You’ve seen it portrayed in moves and television specials.  You’ve read it year after year.  You have no trouble reciting the whole story.  But it’s lost its wonder.  It’s become routine.  There are many who make there way to Bethlehem to view the Christ child but they miss the shepherd’s path.  What is it that ignited their passion?  What was it that drove them to go in haste to Bethlehem?  It was that announcement.  Born to you is a Savior who is the Christ.  It was in the Garden after the rebellion the promise was made of the seed of a woman that would come.  A redeemer.  The Lord’s anointed.  Throughout the ages the people of God had longed for His appearing.  Now they are told, “He’s here!”

The glory of Christmas can only be known this side of Calvary.  The Savior has come.  Mary and Joseph were told to name him “Jesus” for He will save His people.

Thesis: The glory of Christmas is found in the wonder of Christ’s sacrifice which alone brings cleansing and forgiveness.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  And it was good.  He created the stars and planets.  He created land and sea.  He filled the earth with vegetation and life.  The birds of the air, the creatures of the sea, cattle and everything that creeps upon the earth.  And it was good.  As the crowning act of creation God created man in His own image and likeness.  Created to be in relationship with God.  And it was very good.  Through the temptation of the Evil One our first parents rebelled and the world was plunged into moral and spiritual darkness.  Sin and death reigned.  But God promised a Deliverer.

In the Garden God slew an animal and covered man’s nakedness.  The Gospel was declared.  The innocent will die to redeem the guilty.  Throughout the ages the message was declared with every sacrifice.  Now He has come.  Unto you is born a Savior.

In order to understand and appreciate the wonder of this statement we turn to the book of Hebrews chapter 10.

Text: Hebrews 10:1-18

1. The limitations of the old sacrificial system.  (10:1-4)
2. The purpose of Christ’s coming.  (10:5-13)
3. The glorious fruit of His coming.  (10:14-18)

Conclusion:

The Bible is clear, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” and the “wages of sin is death.”  The whole human family stands under the wrath of God and there is nothing any of us can do about it.  No amount of effort, no good intention, no ritual can change that.  But because God loves He provided the answer.  He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him would not perish but would have everlasting life.  Even those who believe on His name.

So when the angel said, “Unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior” those shepherds were compelled to go and see.  Having seen the Christ they left rejoicing.  What about you?  Have you made your way to the Christ?  It’s my prayer that you will find the shepherd’s path and come with haste.

Understanding that… The glory of Christmas is found in the wonder of Christ’s sacrifice which alone brings cleansing and forgiveness.

Intro:
In just over a week it will be Christmas Day!  I think the advertisements started just before Halloween or was it just after Easter?  Advent used to be a time when the church counted down to the arrival of the Christ child.  Now it is a countdown of shopping days left.  It is easy to get cynical about it all.  The commercialization, the shift to “Happy Holidays” in place of “Merry Christmas” and forgetting that Christ is the reason for the season.  I know there are those Christian groups who want nothing to do with the Christmas celebration believing that such is an embracing of paganism.  I will grant that there is nothing in Scripture or the early history of the church about celebrating the birth of Christ.  We are certainly never commanded to do so.  In fact we have no record of it being done until the 4^th century.

In fact December 25 has nothing to do with Christ’s birth.  All indications are that Christ was born in the late spring of 4 b.c.  December 25 was a pagan holiday.  That was the day the sun reached its lowest point on the horizon, and afterwards would begin its rise. The Romans rejoiced that the winter cold and darkness was ending, and they celebrated “the return of the sun” on December 25.  According to historians, on December 25 “a huge log or a whole tree, the Yule Log, would be cast into a bonfire.  Roman revelers would dance and sing around the fire, hoping to awaken the sun from its slumber.”   

This Roman celebration of the sun occurred every year during the time Christ walked the earth. The week long festival, beginning on December 17 and culminating on December 25, was called Saturnalia in honor of Saturn, the Roman god of the sun.  December 25 was the highest holy day of Rome.   Historian J.M. Wheeler writes, “Everyone feasted and rejoiced! Work and business were for a season entirely suspended, and houses were decked with laurel and evergreen. Visits and presents were exchanged between friends, and clients gave gifts to their patrons. The whole season was one of rejoicing and goodwill and happy indulgences.”  The Romans called December 25 “The Day of the Unconquerable Sun.”

During the reign of Emperor Constantine (AD 306-337), Christians began taking and using the pagan customs of Saturnalia as an opportunity to tell others about Christ. It was through the intentional efforts of early Christians in using the customs of their culture as a vehicle to deliver the message of Jesus Christ that we Christians today have what we know as “Christmas.” Imagine being a Christian two thousand years ago in a culture where people are celebrating the resurrection of the Unconquerable Sun (“s-u-n”).  Christians would say to their lost friends, “Look, you’re worshiping an inanimate object in the sky.  Let me tell you about the Unconquerable Son of God.  His name is Jesus, He was born in Bethlehem.  He lived and died and rose again – a  real resurrection – and He did it for your sins and for mine. As we approach December 25 I want to remind you that…

Thesis: Christmas for us, as the people of God, is a time for recognizing, celebrating, worshiping and declaring God’s incomparable gift of His Son, the Lord Jesus!

There is nothing greater, no more important message than the message of the Gospel.  The telling of the good news of salvation in the person of Jesus Christ.  Luke summarizes the work of the early church by saying, “…every day in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ” (Acts 5:42).  Philip went to Samaria where he “proclaimed the Christ” (Acts 8:5).  When he climbed into the Ethiopian’s chariot “he preached Jesus to him” (Acts 8:35).  Immediately after Paul conversion on the Road to Damascus, “he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues” (Acts 9:20).  Paul told the Corinthian believers that he resolved to know nothing “except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).

The true message of Christmas is the glorious good news of God’s great gift of His Son.  We have every reason to sing, celebrate and revel in this Good News.  Our text this morning is found in the book of Hebrews and the first three verses.

Text: Hebrews 1:1-3 Out of this text I want to give you three reasons for why this is a time of celebration and ministry.

1. Christmas is a time to marvel at the wonder of Christ as creator, sustainer and focus of all things.  
2. Christmas is a time to stand in awe of glory of Christ’s as God of very God.
3.  Christmas is a time to revel in the beauty Christ’s redemptive sacrifice and reign as Sovereign King.

Intro:
What do you do when you get one of “those” letters?  You know the kind.  “You have already qualified for one of the following fabulous prizes.”  You discover that you are among a very select group to receive this offer.  Of all the people on the planet they just happened to choose you.  You can win a set of his and her salt and pepper shakers, a giant screen home theatre unit or your very own Caribbean Island.

Guess which one it is!  Of course they also want to tell you about their very special offer.  How do you react?  You get angry don’t you?  You throw the thing in the trash and you think – why don’t you just be up front?  I’m not a dope.  You’ve got something to sell.  Tell me what it is and I’ll tell you whether or not I’m interested – but let’s drop the pretense.  We inherently despise those who misrepresent themselves.  No one likes a hypocrite.  That is not a title anyone seeks to own.  To be a hypocrite is to play a part.  It is to put on.  Pretending to be something that you are not.

Now, we’ve all met hypocrites.  More than that, we all have been hypocritical.  We’ve been inconsistent.  We have said one thing and done another.  That is part of our “fallenness.”  My concern is that this disconnect between what we say or believe and how we behave is now deemed acceptable.  In fact it is being encouraged!

During the so-called “enlightenment” a philosophical worldview came into prominence.  It was a view that said religious truth is on a different plain from other forms of truth.  From that there developed the idea that faith is a “blind leap.”  It doesn’t make sense.  It isn’t logical.  And it doesn’t really relate to life.  You have religious ideas over here and everything else is over there.  I read an article on the New York Times awhile back in which a professor from Princeton was greatly disturbed about a speech given by Anthony Scalia, one of the justices of the Supreme Court.  This professor believed it was a “chilling prospect for life in America.”  His concern?  That justice Scalia actually believed that a person’s religious faith should impact every area of their lives.  It was chilling that there were people who really believed that they owed allegiance to a Sovereign outside of themselves.

Apparently this professor was concerned that someone might actually live the truth of their faith!  With all due respect to the learned professor I’m convinced that:

Thesis: in a world that is long on tolerance and short on truth believers must exhibit authentic biblical faith.

• We have increasingly “privatized” faith.
• We have talked of “my personal faith, my Bible and my understanding.”
• We have said that our faith is a private matter – it is no one else’s business.
• Well, is faith personal?  Yes!
• Is it private?  Absolutely…NOT!!
• We believe within a community of faith – the church.
• We believe a body of truth – the faith.
• We have a divine revelation – the Bible.
• We answer to another – the Sovereign Lord!

Our text this evening gives us some insight into how our Lord views the connection between faith and practice.  What we believe and how we live.

Text: Matthew 23:1-39

• We are nearing the end of our Lord’s earthly life and ministry.
• We are witnessing the last and greatest glory of the Temple as the Lord Jesus has assumed his rightful place as Lord of the Temple.
• He has declared himself the Messiah with his dramatic entrance into Jerusalem.
• He has cleansed the Temple rebuking those who turn the house of prayer into a den of thieves.
• He has silenced his critics as they have sought to entrap him.
• Now he has some things to say.

There are three things I want us to note from our text.

1. Biblical faith demands consistency between belief and practice.  (23:1-12)
2. Biblical faith warns of the danger of hypocrisy.  (23:13-36)
3. Biblical faith weeps over the coming judgment.  (23:37-39)

Intro: What if you knew Christ was coming back this week?  How would that change your plans?  What adjustments would you make in your schedule?  Are there some things that you would try to get done in the next couple of days?  Would it affect the way respond to adversity or annoyance?  Any one who says, “I wouldn’t change a thing” probably lie about other things too!  While we, as Christians, know that we are to live each day as if it were the day we also acknowledge that we do not live with a heightened sense of expectancy all the time.  The history of the church is replete with examples of those who, convinced that the end was imminent, sold everything, went up on the hillside or mountain top and waited.  Only to eventually return home disillusioned and broke!  Others have radically altered their lifestyles abandoning the secular and passionately embracing the spiritual.  After weeks or months without an appearance they too became disillusioned and eventually modified their views or abandoned the faith altogether. What does it mean to live as if this were the day?  The story is told, whether it is apocryphal or not I do not know, that Martin Luther the great reformer was ask, “Brother Martin if you knew the Lord was returning tomorrow what would you do today?”  He replied, “I’d plant a tree.”  The point being our lives ought not to be radically different due to that information.  We ought to live each day in a way that is pleasing to the Lord.   This was Paul’s challenge to the Thessalonian believers in his first letter (4:1).  In 2 Thessalonians Paul spends the second chapter discussing the return of Christ.  At the end of chapter 2 he calls on them to stand firm in their faith.  Chapter 3 continues that thought and gives us insight in how we are to live in light of Christ’s coming.  Our text this morning is found in 2 Thessalonians 3. Text: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-17 This text serves to remind us that… Thesis: Our great concern, as the people of God, is that God be glorified in all things.Benjamin Keach in his catechism, among the first ever produced by Baptist (written in 1677), asks in the second question, “What is the chief end of man?”  The answer, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”  The primary duty of the child of God is to bring glory to God.  This was Paul’s admonition to the Corinthian believers, that they would glorify Him in whatever they do (1 Corinthians 10:31).  Whether the return of Christ is this afternoon, next week or 1000 years from now our agenda is the same.  Live in such a way that God is pleased and glorified in all we do.  How does that express itself in the church? I want to point out 2 things from our text.

1. God’s glory is achieved through the unhindered spread of the Gospel and His faithfulness in establishing His church.  (3:1-5)
2. The glory of God is displayed in the church’s faithfulness in Gospel living.  (3:6-15)